AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Independent Dutch investigators cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and blamed anti-doping authorities for misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.

A 132-page report recommended convening a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won the first of his record seven-straight Tour titles, came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested in 2004.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied using banned substances.

The International Cycling Union appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman last October to investigate the handling of urine tests from the 1999 Tour by the French national anti-doping laboratory, known by its French acronym LNDD.

Vrijman said Wednesday his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely with respect to alleged use of doping in the 1999 Tour de France."

The report also said the UCI had not damaged Armstrong by releasing doping control forms to the French newspaper.

The report said WADA and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law.

Vrijman, who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years and later defended athletes accused of doping, worked on the report with Adriaan van der Veen, a scientist with the Dutch Metrology Laboratory.

EPO, or erythropoietin, is a synthetic hormone that boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

At the time (at least part of the time) it was blood transfusions. Pull high hematocrit, healthy blood enough before the race to recover and get oil-changes along the way. Tired, depleted blood out, fresh blood in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Yep. Back in the good old days, they used to take speed. Tommy Simpson, perhaps the greatest British rider ever, died on a climb (Ventoux, I think) because he took speed and booze.

I'm in favor of allowing whatever substance they want to use. I admire their dedication.

AUSTIN, Texas – August 23rd, 2012 – There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart’s unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.

USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.

Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

LOL.... Just caught the story on Sunday AM news. Not that I hadn't heard about it, but I'm not sure how he was cleared, but still might be stripped of his titles.... ????

Anyway, the French lose AGAIN no matter what! WTH, they are just so butthurt. And Lance's foundation gets a boost. It's SOOOOO funny to see him just talk about them like they're a thing of the past.

What I'd love to see is some coalition like Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, the Virgin Atlantic doode and Turner getting together to have a race in the US (let's say in Colorado) that's always run at the same time as the Tour DAY France (!!!!), but pays millions to the winner! Just to rip the hearts out of the French and their silly race!

I'll miss seeing the scenes as the riders cycled through some of the better parts of Europe, but I'm done with the Tour DAY France!!!

Lance has to protect his Livestrong Nike foundation. If he loses, Nike looks foolish. Nike doesn't like looking foolish. And with that statement, LA definitely tapped the canvas and said "uncle". He has bigger issues to protect than those titles.

When Nike sink their hooks into an individual, bad publicity is something they don't want. The coach their people into remaining anonymous on social and political issues that other athlete's (in years past) would speak out against.

Jordan's early shoes, where little kids were getting whacked and having their shoes stolen, his gambling pursuits, Michelle Wei's failure, Tiger's banging of ugly chix. And now Lance Armstrong.

If they had a positive test to put forth here, I'd be inclined to give this more credence. Armstrong is probably one of, if not the most drug tested athlete of all time. They caught Landis, they caught Hamilton, they caught Contador, they catch people every year. I can accept that his cancer treatments might have provided some advantage early on, but seriously. This case seems flimsy at best and usually based on the testimony of someone who is hocking a book or has some interest like Jose CanLandis.

Maybe he did, but for how many cyclists are routinely caught doping there is a stunning lack of evidence IMO

God, as much as Travis has dug a hole for himself, I feel bad because his kids (if he has any) must be taking a ton of crap (if he has some and they're in school). I can see every kid in the school wearing yellow on a regular basis and replacing the word "hello" with "Live Strong". Just sad when you make claims like Travis is making, don't back them up with evidence and proof, and put your family in such a bad position.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Wednesday said it is releasing its evidence against Lance Armstrong – a dossier of more than 1,000 pages with sworn testimony from 26 people, including 15 cyclists with knowledge of Armstrong's doping activities on the U.S. Postal Service Cycling team.

"The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen," USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart said in a statement.

USADA said the evidence includes "direct documentary evidence including financial payments, emails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong and confirm the disappointing truth about the deceptive activities of the USPS Team, a team that received tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars in funding."

"Together these different categories of eyewitness, documentary, first-hand, scientific, direct and circumstantial evidence reveal conclusive and undeniable proof that brings to the light of day for the first time this systemic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy," USADA said.

All of the material will be released this afternoon, USADA said.

Hincapie issued a statement Wednesday acknowledging that he used performance-enhancing drugs and saying he had been truthful with investigators.

"Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them. I deeply regret that choice and sincerely apologize to my family, teammates and fans," Hincapie's statement said.

Hincapie said he had talked to both federal investigators and USADA about his doping as well as the activities of teammates.

"I would have been much more comfortable talking only about myself, but understood that I was obligated to tell the truth about everything I knew. So that is what I did," his statement said.

USADA is releasing the report as required by its decision in August to give Armstrong a lifetime ban and strip him of his seven titles in the Tour de France. In June, the agency formally accused Armstrong and other team officials of using banned drugs and blood transfusions to gain an edge in competition over several years.

By rule, USADA was mandated by the World Anti-Doping Code to deliver a detailed report on its decision to the interested parties, which include the World Anti-Doping Agency and the athlete's international federation.

In this case, the Armstrong's international federation for cycling is the International Cycling Union (UCI). After receiving the report, UCI has 21 days to appeal the Armstrong sanctions. If an appeal is lodged, the matter will go to arbitration at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

UCI previously has been critical of USADA's case against Armstrong, questioning whether he received his due process. UCI also questioned the fairness of making deals with other riders to testify against Armstrong in exchange for less severe punishment for doping.

USADA shot back at UCI and accused the organization of having a lackluster record on doping and a cozy relationship with Armstrong. In "The Secret Race," the recent book by cyclist Tyler Hamilton, the author alleges Armstrong worked with UCI to have a positive drug test covered up at the Tour of Switzerland in 2001.

Armstrong could have fought USADA's charges by going to arbitration in front of a three-person panel, with one panelist picked by both sides and the other selected by the other two. But he claimed the process as "rigged" against him and announced in August he would no longer fight the charges.

He maintained his innocence, saying he never failed a drug test. USADA noted that Armstrong's team used sophisticated techniques to avoid testing positive and that there is no test for blood transfusions.

__________________
Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning:

Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down.

I'd give a shit about his doping if he was in a minority of riders who doped. Take away his victories, fine. Who are you going to give them to? The other top riders that weren't as good as him but doped just as much?

If they had a positive test to put forth here, I'd be inclined to give this more credence. Armstrong is probably one of, if not the most drug tested athlete of all time. They caught Landis, they caught Hamilton, they caught Contador, they catch people every year. I can accept that his cancer treatments might have provided some advantage early on, but seriously. This case seems flimsy at best and usually based on the testimony of someone who is hocking a book or has some interest like Jose CanLandis.

Maybe he did, but for how many cyclists are routinely caught doping there is a stunning lack of evidence IMO